Latvian President not addressing issues of most concern to society, evaluates sociologist

Raimonds Vējonis/president.lv.

«I don’t feel great competence and I don’t feel that the President would react in the fields that are very important to society. At least a part of society is concerned about publications on «oligarch talks» and I agree to experts that the President, who has symbolic and representative functions, should clearly voice his attitude,» has said sociologist Līga Rasnača.

On Saturday, July 8, two years passed since Raimonds Vējonis from the Union of Greens and Farmers took the post of the State President of Latvia, but, according to the sociologist, there have been very inactive periods in his rule.

Rasnača has evaluated that despite Vējonis having turned more active recently, he has not addressed most pressing issues.

In addition to inactivity amid the Rīdzene talks scandal, the sociologist believes that the Latvian President also has moral responsibility to voice a clear opinion on healthcare topics and not to allow the privatisation of heathcare, which could make healthcare unavailable to many people.

Meanwhile, politilogist Filips Rajevskis, who is also a co-owner of the public relations’ agency Mediju tilts has argued that Vējonis during his presidency has been active in general and especially in legislation.

«Over these two years, Vējonis has returned [to the Saeima] as much laws as President Andris Bērziņš returned during the whole four years,» the politologist stressed.